At the corner of Shady Cuidad, de la Paz and Jorge Newberry Streets, is located the ISKCON centre. I have been placed in a guest room, actually the terrace. It’s a modest place with features of the developing world. The monks hang their laundry here, dhotis, lower cloths, kurtas, upper cloths, and even kaupins (monks’ strip cloth underwear), all flying in the wind, hanging from clotheslines. I have the sky with me which offers other inspiration. I was stuck in a particular spot in the development of the play, “Demon”, that I am working on with the community here in preparation for the weekend’s festival, Ratha Yatra. Being situated in this lofty and airy place, I found answers to my puzzles. At this spot I can think and iron out any kinks in my mind. I can think creative. Sure enough, certain breakthroughs occurred, or light bulbs lit up in my head.

To be more specific, I needed a prop for the king in the play, a type of royal seat or throne. I wanted something different. As I paced back and forth on that open terrace in the dimly lit space, a street light revealed to me the perfect rustic looking large spindle like apparatus that once put on its side, made the ideal seat. It was right there on the terrace. Also, when contemplating on how to make the hero, the lion avatar, look large, it came to mind that I could use the 6 young boys in the play to act as an expansion of him to surround the adversary and intimidate him, making him appear small.

Some people say that the greatest ideas, great or small, come from when you are walking or pacing, and so these little breakthroughs are my little testimonies of that truth.

After a 10 hour day of rehearsal, and a 2 hour jaunt on the street with assistant, Facundo, I climbed a narrow stairway to the loft and the terrace to retire. When checking the moisture status of my towel hanging there, I accidentally hit a clothesline at the chocking level by my throat. I could read this as a small omen. To me it just means that you have to watch where you go in life. Just continue to walk with care, chant, and breakthroughs and realizations will manifest.

Two brahmacharis met me at the international airport, Adi Yugya, a 7 year monk, and Facundo, a young man who joined our order last June. Facundo is my designated assistant during my 5 day stay here and he is proving to do a marvelous job.

According to Adi Yagya, Argentinians like city life, he says 95% live in urban areas. Facundo is a native of this large city of millions, but he didn’t seem to achieve the satisfaction out of party life here. He had come upon the movement of Sai Baba, but after some time, “I had serious questions about his self proclaimed avatar status,” so Facundo said. He searched deeper for a more in depth presentation of the Bhagavad Gita, regarding Krishna’s counsel to his warrior friend, Arjuna. Reading that personal direction that Krishna gave to Arjuna, spoke to Facundo with heartfelt power. He met Hare Krishna monks and from there it was game over. He really pined for this type of life, one of discipline and focus on monastic activities. I am visiting Buenos Aires for the 6th year to participate in their Ratha Yatra. Two areas or maybe 3 contributions for me are the drama production, leading kirtan, that is, chanting, and delivering some classes in bhakti yoga. For the drama practice which I had commenced this evening with chosen actors, Facundo did all my assisting work.

“How did you think our practice went?” I asked him.

“It was all good except for …” and I then bust in,

“Except for when I was giving direction to the two young ladies?”

“Yes.”

“What can you do? You have this wonderful hot Latino blood in you, it is the karma you are born with,” (laughter from both of us).

I see those two girls like my daughters, and you were present and so were others, so there was no problem. He admitted to being calm when he saw how I dealt with them. I was very happy for him. I took a much needed stroll to get some walking in, and at 11 pm, he was up waiting for me to open the gate at the ISKCON centre where I’m accommodated. He was tired, but he waited. He’s a very committed person and has many fine qualities. I wish him well.

I’ve just returned from a two week tour of Bangladesh. Crowned the happiest nation in the world by social researchers at LSE, one can sense the contentment that comes from simple living and high thinking. However, on a second-class overnight train from Chittagong to Dhaka I was confronted with the flip side of the story. A constant stream of desperate beggars petitioned passengers to lend a hand – they were frail, hungry and completely at the mercy of others. As we pulled into the dingy station, the platform was lined with a row of homeless bodies, struggling to catch some rest on the smelly stone cold floor. Past the ticket counters a leper boy perched on the shoulders of his blind friend investigated the trash cans for any useful scraps that may help them get through the day. It was a sorry sight.

Here we come face-to-face with acute poverty - graphic reminders that you don’t see every day in London. It was heart-wrenching, and it definitely made me think. As I studied the reactions of many people around me however, I couldn’t help but feel they were cold and uninterested. It could be that after years of daily exposure one becomes desensitized and emotionally indifferent to the struggles of others. It could just be practical measures – after all, who has the capability to give every beggar a dime, or even the time to politely decline? Either way, it would seem wrong to completely ignore the torment, suffering, pain and desperation that is a daily reality for millions of people worldwide. When you see that, your own life problems don’t really seem very significant anymore.

In my youth, I always found it uncomfortable and awkward to witness images of suffering. Change the channel, skip the newspaper article, or close your eyes – out of sight out of mind. Nevertheless, hard as I tried, I couldn’t seem to forget. Some of it was compassion, but a lot of it was guilt. I had everything while other kids had next to nothing. I’m sure these striking images left a deep impression that perhaps propelled me into a life of renunciation and spiritual welfare work, where I felt I could do my little bit to help the world. Seeing the desperately needy people on this trip rekindled those same emotions and reminded me of my deeper calling. The life of a spiritualist is a life of giving, a life of compassion, and a life of sacrifice for the upliftment of others. Selfless service in consciousness of God, is the essence of spirituality. We find ourselves by forgetting about ourselves. Turning a blind eye to the pain of others is not really an option.

Purpose for life: Krishna consciousness helps us understand that life is not a purposeless, doomed sprint from the starting line of birth to the finishing line of death, but is a purposeful multi-life marathon from the arena of death to the arena of deathlessness.

Krishna consciousness brings purpose not only to our overall life, but also to our specific abilities. No longer do we imagine that we are alone in a big bad world; no longer are our endeavors choked by feelings of insignificance and futility, for we realize that we are part of Krishna’s team and plan for the world, and that our abilities are being used for the most productive and fulfilling possible purpose.

MAYAPUR, INDIA - I would like to take this opportunity to offer some humble homage at the lotus feet of my dear God brother, of HH Srila Radhanath Swami Maharaj. We always had great appreciation that he was a very simple and nice Vaishnava but I didn't have so much association with him many years ago, but in the past 3 years I was able to see him while working and I appreciate that he is very much committed to HDG A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.

Also that he really appreciates and tries to serve his God-brothers and God-sisters. He is very conscious about them. He also is very merciful to the youth in our movement. He wants to help the second generation of devotees who are born into the Vaishnava families. In so many ways I see that he is a very exemplary Vaishnava and he has a very nice sense of humour.

As you all know, his classes usually have some sessions of laughter, in our meeting in Mayapur and also about Calcutta. He is a person of few words in the sense of...when he speaks, he speaks straight to the point and and very much sincerely grasps the issues and tries to give some contribution to help the situation.

He also worked very hard to see that the community at New Vrindavan and other places which were following Kirtananda Swami, they also come back to ISKCON as much as possible. All this show how much he is dedicated to HDG A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.

I am very glad that I have association with him and he has been very kind when I was sick. He also came to see me many times and he postponed his Vyasa Puja at that time. I requested him "Please have your Vyasa Puja" And he was kind enough at that time (to postpone it to the following year) 2009 to hold it. I am very grateful also that he had prayed with all his devotees in Vrindavan and since for me and my recovery and I very much grateful also that I could attend his yatra sometimes both in Mayapur and also in Pune and it was pretty much enlightening experience for me to go to Purne and see the assembly of Vaishnavas. We had seen a few times in Mayapur and I would at least try to be present for a day or two. So we are very much impressed. I also like his followers and some of them I got to know very intimately. When I was in LA and in Bombay, I was still under the care of the Bhaktivedanta Swami Hospital. You know this is just one (incident), he has tried always to serve the Vaishnavas. Not only does he try to serve the Vaishnavas in ISKCON, but he is also serving the Vaishnavas in Vrindavan with his Barsana Eye Camp where he is taking care of a lot of the Vrajabasis. So in many ways he is always trying to help. He also help to facilitate the building of the Hospice in Vrindavan although it is funded by Giriraj Maharaj. . He has a team of doctors and they were very active. They actually put their feet together. I am very happy to see that. He will be observing his Vyasa Puja again and I am very happy that I get some association with him through out the year.

He is a very loving god-brother and Srila Radhanath Swami, please accept my dandavats at your feet. I am very much grateful I will get your association and I hope that sometimes I can do some service to you also. All glories to your Holiness. Haribol!

NOTE: The next day HH Jayapataka swami continued with his offering:

Last night it was late and they asked me to give an offering and so I gave, but there are just two things which I could not say but I feel you will all like to hear it. I won't talk about the years of association that I had with Radhanath Swami and the Chowpatty temple since the early nineties. I will talk about our time but I would like to say how Srila Radhanath Swami is a true friend.

When we asked him to come for the Panihati Festival in Atlanta he was kind enough to have come and visit. There not only did he visit, he came into the kitchen and he rolled up his cadar and he mixed some of the chira and dahi and other things, fruits. So he was in the kitchen and a few preparations for Radharani and Gaura Nitai and Jagannatha, Baladev and Subatra. Then he came out and he spoke something about Prabhupada. So I want to say I participated in his kirtan. I think all those in the audience thought it was real nectar and I am sure all of you sometimes have some of that nectar. But I can say one thing Srila Radhanath Swami is a real true friend and also a writer.

Now he is such a wonderful grand ambassador for the Hare Krishna movement all over the world especially since the launch of his book he utilises to reach out to the western people and western leaders in North America and UK and Europe. So I am very proud of you Srila Radhanath Swami and hope that I will have your association all the time. All glories to you. Haribol!

Even if one is sinful and cannot give up sinful life immediately, if he chants the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra with devotion and faith he will certainly be freed from all sinful activities, and his life will be successful. Paraḿ vijayate śrī-kṛṣṇa-sańkīrtanam. This is the blessing of Lord Rāmacandra, who has appeared in this age of Kali as Lord Gaurasundara.

- Srila Prabhupada purport SB 9.10.51

Following my theme from previous posts, this is yet another purport by Srila Prabhupada on how simply chanting the Hare Krishna maha mantra will relieve one of all unnecessary desires and activities. In other words, if we somehow cultivate devotion and faith in Krishna and His names despite our negative qualities, eventually we will be free from these qualities and make our life successful.

Hello Kurma, can you tell me something about fenugreek. I've never used it.

My reply:

An erect annual herb of the bean family, indigenous to western Asia and south-eastern Europe, Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) is cultivated for its seeds, which, although legumes, are used as a spice.

The seeds are small, hard, yellowish-brown, smooth and oblong, about 3mm (1/8th inch) with a deep furrow across one corner. Fenugreek has a warm, slightly bitter taste, reminiscent of burnt sugar and maple.

The seeds are used in Greece and Egypt and especially India, where they are lightly dry-roasted or fried to extract their characteristic flavour. One should note, however, that over-roasting or over-frying fenugreek results in an excessive bitter taste.

Whn soaked overnight the seed coat beomes soft and jelly-like, and in this state it is one of the chief ingredients of a paste of bitter herbs called halba or hilbe, popular with people of middle-eastern origin.

The leaves of the fenugreek plant are also popular in Indian cuisine. Known as methi, they are used in vegetable dishes, breads and savories. Easily home-grown, fresh young fenugreek leaves are wonderful in salads, dressed with oil and lemon.

The young plants are used as a vegetable, being harvested when they are about 20cm (8 inches) high and tied in bundles like mint or parsley. Fenugreek can be sprouted, and the sprouts lend a pungent favour to salads.

Fenugreek is famous as an ancient medicinal herb. American Indian women took the soaked seeds after childbirth to expedite healing. It was also renowned as a useful cure for constipation, as a powerful expectorant, and is today used in Europe as an herbal infusion to break up respiratory congestion.

The seeds are a carminative (they relieve flatulence), and they are a useful treatment for diabetes.

Modern research shows that fenugreek seeds lowers blood cholesterol and blood sugar levels. Externally, the seeds are useful as a poultice for abscesses, boils and carbuncles. It is also great as a cure for dandruff - soak some seeds in water overnight, grind up into a paste, apply in the scalp and hair, and rinse. You will be dandruff free, although you will smell a little of curry! A small price to pay...

Fenugreek seeds are available at Indian or Middle Eastern grocers. The fresh leaves (if you are shopping outside India), can occasionally be found in markets or can be home-grown.

A daily broadcast of the Ultimate Self Realization Course Sunday 20 November 2011 The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krishna, and His eternal consort, Srimati Radharani are enjoying transcendental pastimes in the topmost planet of the spiritual world, Sri Goloka Vrindavan. They are beckoning us to rejoin them. (Click on photo to see a larger image.) Our Mission: To help everyone awaken their original Krishna consciousness, which is eternal, full of knowledge and full of bliss. Such a global awakening will, in one stroke, solve all the problems of the world society bringing in a new era of unprecedented peace and prosperity for all. May that day, which the world so desperately needs, come very soon. We request you to participate in this mission by reviving your dormant Krishna consciousness and assisting us in spreading this science all over the world. Dedicated with love to ISKCON Founder-Acharya: His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, our beloved spiritual master, and to you, our dear readers. For Transcendental Association Connect With Other Members of this Course. Join this Conference: http://groups.google.com/group/sda_students Help Popularize Our Message By Liking Today's Thought on Facebook: Today's Thought: Crossing Over to the Side of Light uploaded from Pune, India There are two sides to reality. One side is the conditioned side where life is temporary, full of ignorance, and full of misery. The other side is the liberated side where life is eternal, full of knowledge, and full of bliss. The devotee always desires to cross over the Causal Ocean to enter that other side, which is known as the paravyoma, the Spiritual Sky. In Sanskrit there is the word pragam, which literally means crossing over. It is a very significant word. It refers to one who can take the disciple to the other side of reality. The spiritual master takes the disciple to the other side by opening his eyes with the shining torchlight of knowledge. We are presently suffering like anything due to ignorance. By the merciful guidance of the spiritual master, the darkness of ignorance is removed, and thus the disciple is enabled to cross over to the side of freedom. The Bhagavad-gita explains that after many, many births one surrenders to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Similarly, if, after many, many births, one is able to find a bona fide spiritual master and surrender to such a bona fide representative of Krishna, one can cross over the Causal Ocean and enter the paravyoma, the side of light. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Sharing the Bliss of Krishna Consciousness Home Program in Pune, India--18 November 2011 http://www.backtohome.com/images/2011-Fall/Pune_Home.Program.JPG Answers by Citing the Vedic Version: Question: Is Attachment Material? Dear Srila Gurudeva, Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. Could you please give me guidance on the subject of attachment? I have a friend that keeps telling me that the only attachment that is healthy is our attachment to God and that we should not be attached to family, even our own children from birth. I know that this is not the way it is written in the scriptures. Could you please explain attachment to family to me in such a way that I can relate this information to my friend and get things straight in my head? Thank you. I trust this meets you in good health. Your servant. Debbie Answer: Yes, When It Is Not Krishna Conscious It is natural to love our family members, and there is no reason for a devotee to deny this love. Krishna consciousness does not mean to deny loving attachment. Krishna consciousness means to expand our love to the perfectional platform of becoming attached to God. Because Krishna or God is the root of the entire creation, when we love Him, then and only then can we truly love all other living beings including our family members. In other words, our loving attachment to our family members will always remain imperfect and incomplete until we come to platform of Krishna consciousness. Attachment without Krishna consciousness is material. And attachment within Krishna consciousness is perfect. A Krishna conscious person, a person who truly loves Krishna, will naturally feel loving attachment for all living beings, seeing all of them as Krishna's parts and parcels and as therefore being his beloved family members whom he wants to serve by helping them to be connected with Krishna. So the conclusion is that both you and your friend are correct. It is simply a matter of proper understanding. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Transcendental Resources: Receive the Special Blessings of Krishna Now you too can render the greatest service to the suffering humanity and attract the all-auspicious blessings of Lord Sri Krishna upon yourself and your family by assisting our mission. Lectures and Kirtans in Audio and Video: Link to High Definition Videos Link to Over 1,000 Lecture Audios Lecture-Travel Schedule for 2011 http://www.ultimateselfrealization.com/schedule Have Questions or Need Further Guidance? Check out the resources at: http://www.ultimateselfrealization.com or write Sankarshan Das Adhikari at: sda@backtohome.com Get your copy today of the world's greatest self-realization guide book, Bhagavad-gita As It Is available at:http://www.ultimateselfrealization.com/store Know someone who could benefit from this? Forward it to them. 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